Online Business Ideas for 2014

Recent advancements in internet technology have made it much easier for entrepreneurs to start an online business. While e-commerce, online advertisements and blogs have been around for over a decade, easy-to-use website templates and affordable content writing services have made online businesses affordable for everyone.

If thorough planning takes place and an effective online marketing plan is implemented, the following online business ideas are sure to be profitable in 2014:

E-Commerce Store

E-commerce will continue to be a strong money-maker for years to come. A large amount of people who surf the web on a daily basis are browsing e-commerce stores. This market will continue to grow as more and more people purchase smartphones and tablet computers.

This type of business is perfect for anyone who wants to work from home. Many companies offer drop shipping services for small business owners who don’t have the capital to buy and maintain large inventories. E-commerce hosting and pre-built web stores are also available at an affordable monthly price.

An e-commerce business is also a great way for authors, business coaches or marketing experts to make money from e-books. E-books are becoming more popular because consumers are looking for an easier and more affordable way to gain access to educational information they need.

Website Flipping

Similar to house flipping, website flipping involves buying websites, upgrading them and then selling them for a profit.

Websites can be purchased for a minimal amount, however, one must be careful of the type of website they are buying. Newcomers to website flipping should avoid “cookie cutter” sites because they normally come with copied content from other sites that were built by the seller. Copied content will negatively affect your website’s ranking with Google and other search engines.

If you plan on flipping websites, become familiar with web design and search engine optimization first. While you won’t need to be an expert in these fields, you should at least be able to carefully examine websites you’re about to buy to determine what you can do to improve them.

Website flipping is the perfect online business for individuals looking for a quick profit. People are always looking for passive income from Adsense blogs, so all you have to do is buy a blog, monetize it, improve its traffic and sell it for a profit.

App Development

Mobile application development can still be a very profitable business, and thanks to websites who offer application building tools, anyone can start this type of business right from the comfort of their own home.

There are thousands of mobile apps currently available in the iTunes store and Android store. While the market may be saturated, it isn’t impossible to make a decent amount of money on multiple apps. Because you likely won’t create the next Angry Birds app, building multiple applications will net you the best results.

To ensure that enough people will be interested in your app, do extensive research on your idea before you begin developing and marketing it. You should also become familiar with mobile application design methods that work and seek assistance from a professional developer, if necessary.

Social Media Advertising

If you love social media and have a knack for online promotion, social media advertising is the business for you in 2014. Social media plays a big part in the success or failure of many online businesses, and companies will continue to dedicate a large part of their marketing efforts to this type of advertising for years to come.

To get into this business, you’ll need to do extensive research first on what type of social media advertising works and experiment with different methods that could potentially increase your clients’ visibility and brand across every platform. Make sure you have a well-developed website that potential customers can visit. You may also have to offer your services for free at first to develop a list of clients that can vouch for your business.

As more companies continue to rely on their current customers for new business, social media promotion will continue to be a necessary part of corporate marketing plans for years to come. While someone that starts this type of business may need to work very hard to get it up and running, the capital needed is minimal.